Sunday, March 8, 2009

Best Dressed?

Do you think the following people are particularly well dressed?
















Actually, they're all cropped images of Barack Obama. The reason why I've posted the images is to take issue with Esquire's magazine naming of Obama as one of the world's best dressed men.

I know that most Men's lifestyle magazines simply adore Obama (e.g. GQ, Details, Esquire) but should that fact alone make him one of the WORLD'S best dressed man? Give me a break.

Admittedly, Obama dresses well for his position-- that of a powerful American politician. But most American politicians actually dress moderately well (we shan't discuss Canadian MP's). Is Obama that much of a better dresser than, say, Mitt Romney? I don't think so. Both of them dress like Harvard corporate types, (which is what they both were before entering politics).



Obama's suits fits pretty well (it helps that he is tall and lean). I also like the way he knots his neckties. On the other hand, he seems unable to wear anything other than "boardroom" grey/navy/black suits and a red or blue tie. I also don't think he does the casual look very well. George Bush didn't look terribly good in his suits, but he did look good when dressed casually in his jeans, jacket and cowboy boots.


And lest you say that Obama's fashion sense is constrained by his position as a world leader, I'd like to point out that there are, and have been, numerous stylish world leaders:


-Even in America itself, Ronald Regan was quite dapper in way that makes Obama look quite bland in comparison. Reagan expanded the presidential suit colour palette (in fact, he apparently once caused something of an uproar by wearing a prince of wales suit; see http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/06/30/back.time/). Reagan also looked pretty darn cool in jeans and his cowboy gear.


-Pierre Trudeau. What can you say about a Prime Minister who wore a cape and Buckskin native coat (the audacity of coat?). PET puts Obama in his back pocket. PET put everybody in his back pocket.







-Other current well-dressed politicians of note: N. Sarkozy, King Mohamed VI of Morocco; and of course, Prince Charles is well known for being at the top of the list



In conclusion, Obama dresses well for an American politician. However, he by no means surpasses other well-dressed American politicians, of which there are several. Far from being one of the world's best dressed men, he does not rank sartorially among recent historical world leaders, nor is he even the best dressed world leader today.


-The Scandal

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